Air-pump.



No. 68!,398. Patented Aug. 27, 190i.

N. MEYERS.

AIR PUMP.

(Application filed Dec. 29, 1900.)

as n I F i El m! (No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

NICHOLAS MEYERS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO PETER C.

MEYERS, OF SAME PLACE.

- AIR-PUMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,398, dated August 27, 1901.

Application filed December 29,1900. Serial No. 41,527. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS MEYERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Inn provements in Air-Pumps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an air-pump which is more particularly designed for maintaining an air-pressure upon liquids which are drawn intermittently from casks; but the same may also be used for supplying air for other purposes.

The object of this invention is to provide an air-pump of this character which is simple and durable in construction and reliable in operation and which supplies a comparatively large volume of air at a uniform pressure.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved air-pump, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, of one of the cylinders and connecting parts, the section being taken in line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross-section, on an enlarged scale, in line 4 4, Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

The main frame of the pump shown in the drawings consists, essentially, of two end pieces A A and a number of connectingbars a.

B represents the horizontal driving-shaft of the pump, which is journaled in bearings in the upper part of the main frame and which may be rotated by any suitable motor. The motor for this purpose shown in the drawingsis operated by a weight and consists, essentially, of a drum 0, secured to a shaft 0, which is journaled in bearings 011 the main frame, a cord, rope, or chain D, passing around an overhead roller or pulley d and wound at one end around the drum, while its opposite end is secured to a weight cl, a gearwheel E, mounted loosely on the drum-shaft and meshing with a gear-pinion e on the driving-shaft, and a pawl f, pivoted on the gearwheel and engaging with a ratchet-wheel F 011 the drum. Upon turning the drum backwardly by means of a crank applied to the square end of its shaft the rope is wound on the drum and the weight is elevated, and during the movement of the drum its ratchetwheel trips backwardly past the pawl and does not affect the gear-wheel and the parts connected therewith. The weight turns the drum forwardly by unwinding the rope therefrom, and this movement is transmitted successively to the ratchet-wheel, pawl, gearwhee1,and pinion 'to the driving-shaft.

' G G represent two air-compressor cylinders which are arranged at right angles to each other in front of the main frame and on opposite sides of the driving-shaft and which have their axial lines intersecting at a point in line with the axis of the driving-shaft. Each of these cylinders is closed at its ends by heads 9 and is provided at its center with air-inlet slots or openings g" and at its ends outlet-pipe, through which the check valve is inserted in the branch passage. The outlet= pipes of both cylinders are connected centrally to a delivery-pipe J, whereby the air is conducted to the place of consumption. The cylinders and the parts connected therewith may be supported on the frame in any suitable manner-forinstance, by means of supporting-lugs 70, which project forwardlyfrom the front end piece of the frame and which receive fastening-screws 7c, passing through lugs 10 on the outlet-pipes, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4.

L represents hollow plungers or pistons, one of which is arranged in each of the cylinders and each of which is reciprocated in its cyl inder by a pitman Z, connecting the central part of the plunger with a crank-disk M on the front end of the driving-shaft. The upper ends of both pitinen are pivotally connected with the same crank-pin m on the disk M, and the lower end of each pitman is preferably bifurcated and pivotally secured with its branches to opposite sides of the central part of its plunger by screws Z. The connection between the lower end of the pitman and the plunger preferably extends through the air-inlet openings g. Each of the plungers is provided centrally with air-inlet openings 12, which register with the inlet-openings g of the cylinder, and the opposite end of the plunger are provided with valve-seats which are preferably faced with leather 0 or similar material.'

P represents a valve-rod which is arranged lengthwise in the plunger and provided at its ends with disk valves 19, which face the valveseats on opposite ends of the plunger. The va1ve-rod is somewhat longer than the plunger, so that when one disk valve moves toward its seat the opposite disk valve moves away from its seat. Each disk valve is packed at its periphery in the cylinder by a flexible packing cup or ring Q, which is secured to the outerside of the disk valve by aclamping-nut q, applied to a screw-threaded stem g on the end of the valve-rod. The disk valves and their packings are provided with air-openings r T, which are in line with the valve-seats of the plunger and which permit the air to pass through either valve when the same is moved away from the plunger, but which are closed by the adjacent seat of the plunger when the Valve is moved toward the plunger. The valve-rod is preferably centered in the plunger by lugs 3, arranged on the valve-rod and engaging with the inner side of the plunger. When the plunger is moved upwardly, the valve-rod and its valves remain at rest until the upper end of the plunger engages the upper valve, whereby the upper valve is closed and the lower valve is opened, as shown in Fig. 3. During the continued upward movement of the plunger the air in the upper end of the cylinder is forced past the upper checkvalve and escapes through the branch of the outlet-pipe to the delivery-pipe and fresh air enters-through the inlet-openingsgnrinto the space in the cylinder below the plunger-and its lower valve 19. Upon moving the plunger downwardly its lower end engages with the lower valve p,whereby the air in this end of the cylinder is forced out of the cylinder past the lower cheek-valve and discharged through the lower branch of the outlet-pipe into the delivery-pipe. It will thus be seen that by this construction of plunger and inlet valves no springs are employed, which are liable to get out of order and impair the working of the air-pump. By arranging the cylinders at an angle to each other and connecting both plungers to the same crank-pin one of the plungers is always in motion between the ends of its stroke while the other plunger is passing the-dead-center at either end of its stroke, thereby producing a continuous or constant air-pressure and rendering this apparatus especially desirable where a uniform air-pressure is desirable. By fitting both the plunger and the outlet-val ves into the cylinder leakage of air past the same is reduced, and, furthermore, the valves do not move idly with the plunger part of its stroke until seated by airpressure, but are held frictionally in place in the cylinder until engaged by the plunger, thereby rendering the plunger most effective throughout its entire working stroke, whereby the maximum efficiency of the pump is obtained.

I claim as my invention The combination with a cylinder having an air-inlet at its middle and air-outlet valves at opposite ends, of a hollow reciprocating plunger arranged in the cylinder and closely engaging the bore of the same, piston-valves facing seats at opposite ends of the plunger and arranged in close contact with the bore of the cylinder, and a rigid connection between said piston valves which extends through said plunger, whereby the valves are held frictionally in place in the cylinder until engaged by the plunger and each pistonvalve is positively moved toward its seat on the plunger while the other piston-valve is moved away from its seat, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 24th day of December,'1900.

NICHOLAS MEYERS. Witnesses:

JNo. J. BONNER, C. B. HORNBEOK. 

